Found
by FraidyCat01
Summary: After being kidnapped and locked in a basement for weeks, Carlos is found by his friends. However, with his kidnapper only temporarily distracted, their reunion is cut short. And with the police still hours away, Carlos begins to share his experience. But, unknown to Carlos, the more he uncovers about the events of his kidnapping, the more danger he puts his friends into.
1. Chapter 1

_**Found**_

**Hey, everyone! I am currently in the middle of two other fanfics, but after thinking of this plot, I thought it would make a good story, so, here it is! I decided to try something totally different from my usual writing style, and write an extremely dramatic, friendship/kidnapping story, so if any of you have any suggestions on what I can do to make it better, or if you think I am on the right track, please let me know. Another thing I am doing differently this time is my younger sister actually wrote this story with me. She is too young to have her own account, but she loves writing, so I thought it would be cool if she and I wrote a story together, and then posted it here. So, when you're reading this, you are also reading some of her work, too:) **

**We made Hawk an extremely evil character, and exaggerated his obsession of destroying Rocque Records a bit. We know he's actually not as evil in the TV series as we made him, but it was way more fun to write him as a super bad character.**

**Oh, and another thing: there are no…"couples" in this story. Everyone is just friends, and we wanted James to be really protective of Carlos. Just something we thought we should tell you (and anyway, who wouldn't be a little protective of a friend that had just gotten kidnapped?!). Also, I want to give a shout-out to my friend, and our beta, chickenleg718. Thanks so much for beta reading for me! :)**

**Anyway, thanks, guys for reading our intro, and please let us know what you think of our story!**

**-FraidyCat01 and her sister.**

"Carlos?" I felt someone stroke my hair. In the dim light of the basement, I couldn't make out who it was. Was he or she on my side? I didn't know, and I was too tired to care, so I just lay there, and let whomever it was talk to me in a slow, calming voice. To my left, I heard more voices, some of them further away than others. Then, suddenly, someone was untying my hands, while another untied my feet. Who were these guys? How did they know me? What if they worked with Hawk? Hawk. Just thinking the name shot chills up and down my spine. Whenever I tried picturing his beady black eyes, and his gloating smile...

I began whimpering, and everyone immediately stopped what they were doing.

"Carlos? Are you okay?" I heard a very concerned voice ask. It was the same voice of the person stroking my hair.

"What do you think?" another spoke up. "He's only been kidnapped and tied up in a basement for three weeks!" This voice sounded panicky, maybe even on the edge of hysterics.

"Calm down!" someone to my right snapped. Their tone was much gentler when they turned their focus to me. "Carlos? How are you doing, man?" Even in the state I was in, I didn't fail to recognize the person that matched that voice. It was the same person I'd known since kindergarten. It was the same person who introduced me to corndogs (oh, how I wanted one of those!) so many years ago. And most of all, it was the same person whom when I was around, I knew I was safe. I took a shaky, uncertain breath.

"James?"

I heard everyone breathe a sigh of relief when I spoke.

"You guys!" someone called out, a little too loud for my liking, "You guys! He's okay!" After recognizing James, telling the other voices apart wasn't hard. The guy yelling and who was stroking my hair moments ago, was Kendall Knight. The panicky voice belonged to Logan Mitchell. The two of them, along with James Diamond, were my best friends, as well as band members. We had known each other for as long as all of us could remember. And now, they had come to rescue me! On the outside, all I could manage was a faint smile, but on the inside, I was bursting with excitement at the thought of leaving the clutches of the crazy, record-producer-gone-mad man named Hawk (I still shuddered at the thought of his name. James, mistaking my fear for being cold, wrapped his hoodie around my shoulders).

"Hey, buddy." James said. I pulled myself into what I hoped could pass as a sitting position. I could make out the whites of James's eyes, and I also noted Logan was wearing a white T-shirt. I couldn't see Kendall at all, and for a moment, being in the dazed state that I was, I had a second's worth of panic that he had left. But I heard him breathing next to me, and that fear left as soon as it had come. I thought that maybe they were waiting for me to say something, so I cleared my throat (which hurt a lot because it was so dry) and thought of something to say. The result wasn't as intelligent as I had hoped, but, it was pretty good, considering the circumstances.

"Hey, guys." I was surprised at how croaky my voice sounded. I wasn't sure if they could even hear me at first. However, they made it clear that they did, because as soon as I spoke, they pulled me in for a hug. I felt James crying next to me.

"I'm sorry, Carlos. Oh, God, man, I'm so sorry!" His chest wracked with sobs. James never cried. And, I mean, never. So, I guess it was seeing (or rather, hearing) him break down like this that caused tears to form in my eyes, too. I made no effort to stop them from falling. Logan had his arm around me, but I couldn't tell if he was crying or not. Kendall said nothing, but he hugged us all fiercely. With these guys, all my fears were put on hold. However, they were only put on hold for a short while. Just because my friends were here with me didn't mean that Hawk was no longer looking for evil ways to destroy Rocque Records. It didn't mean he was going to just release me, and we all could just skip off into the sunset and forget any of this happened. If anything, Hawk would jump with joy at the sight of all four members of his enemy's leading band trapped in his basement. It would only make things easier for him. And I wasn't going to be the one to get my friends captured...

"Guys," I said, "if Hawk comes... well, let's just say, a lot of good it'll do us if we're ALL trapped in here."

"We're not gonna get caught," Kendall told me gently. "We've got Hawk distracted."

"How?" I asked, curious.

"We got Katie and Griffin to call him and distract him long enough for us to come rescue you," Logan told me proudly. It was smart, because Hawk didn't know Katie, and Griffin's voice was really hard to distinguish over the phone. And not to mention, those two were pretty creative when it came to distractions. Still, I couldn't help but worry, especially now that Kendall's younger sister was involved.

"But, what if-" I began, but was cut off by Kendall.

"Carlos Garcia," he teased, "Are you actually doubting one of Big Time Rush's plans? I thought you said they were all ingenious!"

"Yeah, I know said that," I said in my strongest voice (which was pretty weak, even I admit), "I'm just worried that Hawk will find you and trap you here as he did me, and let me tell you, its not fun."

"What kind of world do we live in when Carlos actually worries about something?" Logan mumbled in a half-hearted attempt at a joke.

"Look, you guys," I sighed. Talking was actually starting to wear me out, which worried me, "I just don't want Hawk catching any of you."

"We told you," James said patiently, "Katie and Griffin have him distracted." He put his arm around me. I wanted to believe him, I really did. But if I learned one thing from my many escape attempts, it was that Hawk did NOT get distracted easily.

"Do they, now?" a cold voice asked from the top of the basement stairs. Logan jumped. I gasped. Hawk. I spun around to face him, dread rushing through me. This was what I had been afraid of.

"I must say," Hawk said, his voice nothing short of terrifying, "I'm impressed. Your friends had me completely fooled at first. But, it turned out that no one, not even the head of Rocque Records himself, has what it takes to beat me!" He smiled mockingly in my direction, and laughed when I whimpered, and moved closer to James.

"Look," Logan said forcefully, "just leave Carlos alone! It's not his fault you have a crazy obsession with destroying Rocque Records. And, for the record, kidnapping is a really low way to achieve your sick, twisted goals." I had never heard Logan so mad. He was as pale as a ghost, and he was wringing his fingers nervously as he spoke, but his eyes were fierce and determined.

"Shut up, boy!" Hawk screamed. Logan shrank back, afraid. Hawk went on in rage, "I will stop at nothing to see Rocque Records destroyed, and if kidnapping Carlos is what it takes, then, so be it! And no one can stop me, especially not stupid singing teens with-"

"Freight Train!" James called. Hawk looked confused.

"What does a freight train have to do with-" A loud CLANG interrupted Hawk's speech. A look of pained surprise crossed the man's face, then he crumpled to the ground and didn't move. Through the darkness, I could make out a large, dark figure holding what looked like a frying pan. Turns out, I was right.

"Take that!" the figure told the unconscious Hawk. "And by the way, that was from Gustavo!"

"Thanks, Freight Train!" James said. Then, to me, he explained, "Freight Train and Kelly drove us here. It took us FOREVER to find this place. Freight Train told us to call him if we ever needed Hawk distracted."

"Oh, good! This WAS the right address," the figure, who by then I had learned was Gustavo's 300 pound bodyguard, Freight Train, said. "I was worried it wasn't the right one, because it was Gustavo who gave us the address in the first place, and you know how he is with directions. Is Carlos there?"

"Yeah," James told him.

"Oh good!" an obviously relieved Freight Train sighed. "Brace yourselves: I found the light switch!"

I shielded my eyes, and huddled closer to James. I hadn't seen the light in weeks, and I didn't know what to expect. When I opened them, I was hit with light so bright, I had a strong urge to close my eyes again. But, on the plus side, I could see everyone, and I hadn't seen them in what seemed like years. Suddenly, the urge to close my eyes again seemed really small. I looked around the basement, taking it in fully for the first time. It was just one large square room. It wasn't finished, and the only thing that had stopped my legs from breaking the many times Hawk threw me down the stairs was a thin layer of beige carpet that covered the cement floors. The carpet wasn't secured to the floor, and could be moved easily. A worn, leather couch sat in the far left corner, and there was a large wardrobe to the right of the stairs, but that was about it in terms of furniture. My "camp out" as I had taken to calling it, was along the far wall in front of the staircase. I chose that spot so I would always be able to see when Hawk decided to pay me a visit. And that was where the guys had found me, and where we were still. My eyes locked themselves on Hawk, who was still unconscious at the top of the stairs. Logan was looking at him, too.

"That's your idea of a distraction?" he asked Freight Train in disbelief. His eyes were wide.

"Hey, you got a better idea?" Freight Train questioned Logan, who quickly shook his head, "Besides, he was mean to Carlos." He gave me a wave, before starting down the stairs.

"Good to see you." I croaked.

"Kendall?" came a frightened-sounding, and very feminine voice. "James? Logan? Are you guys here? I just saw Freight Train walk in, but I don't see him now. I swear, if Gustavo gave me the wrong address, I'm gonna kill-"

"Kelly!" Kendall yelled. "Sorry," he added when he saw me flinch. "Kelly! we're down here! In the basement!" Kelly was here? Great. It wasn't that I wasn't happy to see her-believe me, I was; it was just that if Hawk woke up and trapped her here too, Gustavo wouldn't be left with any backup (besides Griffin). And if she, or anyone else was to get hurt, or captured, no matter what anyone else said, it would be my fault. The sound of Kelly yelling, followed by the front door slamming, pulled me out of my daze.

"I can't find the base- oh, wait! Found it! I think it's this door here." She appeared at the top of the stairs. Her tone became panicky when she noticed Hawk. "Why is there a man on the floor?"

"Freight Train knocked Hawk out with a frying pan," Logan answered, still in shock.

"No charge," Freight Train said winking at me.

"That's HAWK?" Kelly asked in disbelief. "Wow, he looks different when unconscious."

"Kelly," Logan called up to her, giving me an apologetic look as he did so, "we found Carlos! And he's okay. Well, as okay as you CAN be when you're-"

"You found him? Oh, thank God!" Kelly sighed.

"Hi, Kelly," I croaked.

"Carlos, honey," Kelly said, "we called the police. Everything's gonna be alright. Now," she said, addressing all of us, "don't go anywhere. I'm coming down. Just as soon as I step around old Hawk here- there we go!"

"Where would we go?" James mumbled to me. I laughed.

"Sorry," Logan said, looking at me, "You're going to have to answer some questions when the police arrive."

I groaned. I had seen enough crime movies to know that the police always took great care in asking the victim as many questions as possible. I never dreamed that one day, I'D be one of those victims.

James, apparently seeing the "awww" look on my face said, "Only a few," which didn't make me feel any better, even though it was supposed to. I didn't admit that, though. I didn't want James to feel bad.

"Well, maybe if you tell us what happened, we'd be able to help you out," Kelly suggested gently. My heart sank down to my feet. Kelly was right about one thing: if I told everyone what I went through, then they could help me out when the time to answer questions came. But, she was also wrong about something, too: Kelly hadn't been there for all the times Hawk starved me, or that time when he tied me up. Kelly hadn't been there when Hawk kidnapped me in the first place. I had (obviously) been there for all those things, and revisiting them, especially now that I had everyone here with me, wasn't exactly on my list of 'things I wanted to do at the moment'. What I wanted to do was eat all the food I could get my hands on, and take a shower. Not tell my kidnapping story.

"Well," I croaked. How could I be nice and explain that I did not want to revisit the awful experience? I thought about saying "I-uh...I forget. " But, then, the question "What? How could you forget something so important?" would come. Should I tell the truth? No. Sometimes the truth is as hard as not having corndogs for 3 weeks. You might not understand what that feels like. It's like not having peanut butter, or candy and marshmallows, or whatever else pleases you, for 3 weeks. Not a fun feeling. Still, I thought, if I told everyone, then Hawk would finally be stopped. That would be nice. I looked at my friends. They all looked anxious. But, they also all looked like they were expecting a story too. Great. I didn't even know where to start. James saw me hesitate.

"Kelly," he said, "I don't think Carlos is ready to-"

"No, it's fine," I told him. Really, it wasn't, and I was actually scared out of my wits right now, but, I'd have to revisit everything at some point, so why not start with now? Soon, everyone would know the real side of Hawk. The sick, evil, kidnapping side of him. "_The real side_", I thought. And who were better people to start my story with than the five people in front of me? The five people who had come all the way to rescue me. The five people I knew I could count on. I had made my decision. I took a deep breath. And, feeling James' reassuring hand on my shoulder, I began my tale.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey! I am so, so sorry it took so long to upload this chapter. Honestly, you all must be really mad at me, and I can promise you that it usually DOES NOT take me this long to upload my chapters. I can't apologise enough. The only thing that kept me from updating sooner was that I have had so much homework over the past month or so that it's unbelievable! But report cards are coming out soon, so hopefully things are settling down….**

**Anyway, before we get on with the story, I want to take this time to thank some people. First, to **_vikwhis13,____Brownsugar12, Anonymous Skrtle_, _AkireAlev____and LittleWing _**for following** **this story. You guys ROCK! Also, thanks to **_Artic-Fox 14, marnie1990, and Green Swordsgirl _**for adding this story to their favourites! It made my day when I found out so many people like this story! **

**I would like to give a shout-out to my first reviewers, **_LittleWing_ **and **_AkireAlev_**! Thanks a ton for your review, as reviews mean a lot to me. Now, as a heads-up, I will give a shout-out to the every fifth reviewer as well. **

**I found this chapter hard to write, so please bear with me if it isn't what you wanted. Remember, its Carlos reflecting back/ telling everyone what happened and how and why he got kidnapped. Ok, enjoy, you guys!**

_**Chapter 2:**_

"Carlos, will you hurry up and pass the ball, already?" Logan cried. He attempted for the hundredth time to weave his way around the two opposing players in front of him. I, however, just stood there, stick-handling the ball, and seeing no other options but to stay put. There wasn't much else you _could_ do when you were playing lobby-hockey against two of your best friends, who also happened to be the best players. I honestly had no clue how Logan and I were put on the same team, but it happened anyway, and now the tallest and strongest members of our band were beating us.

Kendall took off his hockey helmet to wipe the sweat that matted his blond hair to his forehead. I took that as my chance to pass the ball to Logan, but Kendall was way faster than I remembered, and before I had even lifted my stick to shoot, his helmet was back on, and he was in my face one again, trying to distract me so his teammate, James, could steal the ball from me.

"Carlos, if you hurry, you might be able to pass to Logan sometime between now, and next Christmas!" Kendall sneered. I knew he was just saying that to make me loose focus, so I ignored it. Logan's next statement, however, was harder to ignore.

"Carlos!" he yelled, "quit being stupid, and pass!" I tried to hide the hurt expression I undoubtedly wore on my face. Stupid. Great. I had become so tired of hearing that word. "Stupid" had become everyone's favourite word for me, lately, it seemed. Whenever they got the chance, people would always comment on my "stupid way of doing things" or "my stupid helmet", or whatever "stupid" thing I happened to be doing at the moment. At first, I didn't think anything of it, but then, it got more frequent. Then, it really got me thinking, and the more I thought, the more it bothered me. But I didn't dare tell Logan this. Or anyone else, for that matter. They would all think I was either crazy or going soft. After all, all I was supposed to be concerned about were corndogs, violent video games, attempting to win the Jennifers over with my natural charm, and my helmet. That was why if I told everyone what I was really feeling, they wouldn't believe me, which, to say the least, sucked. A lot.

I turned my attention back to Logan. He was still freaking out over the ball. He was starting to annoy me. He always took things so serious.

"Logan," I told him impatiently, "It would be a whole lot easier passing the ball to you if you'd get open!" So much for hiding my emotions. I didn't care. What I had just said must have taken some kind of affect on Logan, as he moved to the left enough to let me send the ball sailing into his stick. He then ran down to Kendall and James's net, and scored in the upper left-hand corner before I even had time to blink. It wasn't for nothing that this boy was known for his speed back in Minnesota. It was a nice goal, and I found myself smiling, watching Logan celebrating the fact that we were now only about twelve goals away from tying the game. Logan came back to our side to slap me a high-five.

"You know," I told him, "you have about as much patience as Gustavo." It came out harsher than I intended, but I was trying to make a point. Logan lost his grin immediately, but instead of being mad, he sounded concerned as he spoke to me

"Hey, man," he said, "you okay? You seem to be in an extra-irritated mood today."

"Yeah, I'm fine." I lied. "I just can't believe they're beating us by that much." That wasn't the actual reason, but Logan bought it nonetheless.

"Well, Carlitos," he said, his eyes blazing with determination, "Don't you worry about that. Thanks to my amazing skills, we're now _that_ much closer to beating them." He dodged my swing, and danced to the centre of the floor to take the face-off. I sighed watching him. I hated lying to him, and I had come so close to breaking down and telling him everything right then and there, but I thought there were more appropriate places to pour your heart out than in the middle of a hotel lobby. Besides, even if I wanted to tell Logan everything, I wouldn't know where to begin. But, I would figure all that out later. Right now, I had a game to play. But I never got the chance.

As soon as James shouted "go", indicating the game was back on, the door to the Palm Woods opened, revealing a very flustered Kelly. She narrowed her eyes when she saw the four of us playing hockey in the middle of the lobby, but shrugged, and made her way over to us.

"Guys," she began, but stopped when she realized none of us were listening. She tried again, louder this time. "Guys! Gustavo wants you back at the studio in ten minutes to rehearse."

_That _got our attention. We all stopped mid-play to stare at Gustavo's assistant in disbelief.

"But Kelly," James whined, "Gustavo gave us the day off today!"

"Yes, I know," Kelly reasoned, "But he had a sudden breakthrough on the lyrics to that new song you guys were working on, and he needs you guys there to record it."

We all rolled our eyes. Gustavo probably just wanted us there so he could yell at us. It was usually what he did whenever he needed lyrics. Why he found that satisfying, I'll never know. But, nonetheless, Kendall walked over to Kelly. He must have seen us all staring at him, as he shrugged.

"The sooner we record the song, the sooner we can get back to our game." He said. Kelly smiled.

"Kendall's right," she told us, "As soon as you guys are done at Rocque Records, you can come back and play. But, just hurry. Gustavo's in a really bad mood."

"He's always in a really bad mood." I muttered, following Kendall and Kelly out the door. James and Logan brought up the rear. Behind me, I heard James laugh quietly at my remark. I couldn't help but smile too.

"No, no, _no!_ I told you dogs to sing this song in the key of 'D'. Not in the key of whatever that was! Can't you just _pay attention?_" Gustavo Rocque, our record producer threw his hands up in the air in despair. It had been like this for the past hour, so none of us really paid attention anymore. I looked over at James, who was checking his reflection in the sound booth window, Logan, who was drumming his hands on his knees impatiently, and Kendall, who was rolling his eyes at our record producer's impatience. I didn't need to check my reflection to know that I looked as bored as I felt. I was a little mad at Kelly. Back at the Palm Woods, when she had said Gustavo had had a "sudden breakthrough in song lyrics", she forgot to mention the fact that he had ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, and just wanted someone to scream at. Then again, she probably needed to think of _something_ get us to come, because anyone who knew us as well as Kelly did, knew that stopping a hockey game to go visit our record producer wasn't something we were going to do willingly.

I decided that I had had just about enough of standing around listening to Gustavo yelling at us. I turned to Kendall giving him a look that begged him to take charge. I saw that James and Logan had a similar plan. Kendall saw us all looking at him.

"Well, what do you want me to do?" he hissed.

"Just tell Gustavo to stop yelling at us!" Logan cried, "Or at least to turn his microphone off." He added, plugging his ears. James and I nodded our agreement.

"Okay, okay." Kendall sighed. Then, turning towards the front of the sound booth, he began banging on the glass, shouting for Gustavo to be quiet. At first, the extra noise was more than any of us could bear, but after a while, Gustavo quieted down.

"What?" he snapped his face red.

"Look, Gustavo," Kendall said, "We didn't interrupt our hockey game and come all the way to Rocque Records to get yelled at, so, can you please stop hurting our ears, and help us with the song?" Kendall wasn't finished, but Gustavo held up a finger to silence him.

"Oh yeah?" Gustavo snapped, "Well I didn't send Kelly to interrupt your little hockey game and bring you all the way to Rocque Records only to find out that you dogs CAN'T SING!"

"Any, by the way," he added, "I'M not helping YOU DOGS with the song; YOU DOGS are helping ME with the song! I am in charge of the song-writing here. Because you are the dogs, and I'm the-"

"Lone wolf." I sighed impatiently, "We know."

"Exactly!" Gustavo snapped. "And this lone wolf is getting pretty tired of you dogs slacking off. I mean, _seriously!_ James, I'm beginning to think you're completely tone-deaf. Logan and Kendall need to take a closer look at the lyric sheets, and perhaps, maybe even read them this time. And, Carlos, how did you even get into the singing business?"

I felt my ears go hot.

"Well, um, I auditioned, and…" I began, but was cut off.

"And only got through because of your friend Kendall's stubbornness." Gustavo finished for me. My friends looked as shocked as I felt.

"Hey, come on, Gustavo! Leave Carlos alone!" James protested.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Gustavo said, not sounding very sorry at all, "Did I hurt poor Carlos's stupid feelings?" If he had said this any other time, it wouldn't have bothered me that much. But considering the fact I had almost gotten mad at Logan for saying something similar a little over an hour ago, I figured this was the last straw.

"Actually, yes," I told Gustavo, "You did hurt my feelings. But not that you care, right? Because, after all, I'm just Stupid Carlos."

"Carlos," Logan said, "just relax, man. Don't get so worked up over something so little."

"Something so little?" I fumed, "If, it's something 'so little', then why does everyone always say it to me?" I could feel my face turning red with anger. I had always been known to have a short temper. This was a perfect example.

"Well, because," Logan answered carefully, "because sometimes, you do or say things that are… well… not bright."

"Not that that matters, though, right, Logan?" James asked Logan through clenched teeth. His voice issued a warning that said plain and simple to drop the subject. I was glad that at least _someone_ was on my side.

"Um…of course not," Logan said uncertainly, torn between siding with his angry record producer, and his best friends. "I was just saying."

"Well, don't." I snapped. I was beginning to feel silly about my outburst, and wanted to change the subject as quickly as possible. James must have sensed it.

"So…uh…where were we?" He asked Gustavo, in his attempt at changing the subject.

"We were discussing how you dogs need to FOLLOW DIRECTIONS!" Gustavo reminded James impatiently. "Now, let's get back to work. Carlos, do you think you can manage?" he added sarcastically. My face burned with humiliation. I didn't know why I was letting Gustavo get to me as much as I was. Normally, I just ignored all his pointless insults, and thought of cool battle strategies for all my video games, or daydreamed about the Jennifers, or something. But not today. Today, everything got to me, including my now very-annoying record producer. I decided I needed a break.

"Okay, you know what?" I asked Gustavo, dropping the headphones I was wearing on the floor. They landed with a _bang._ "I'm done."

"With what?" Gustavo scoffed, "Being stu…"

"Stop it!" I half screamed, half pleaded. I was panting, trying to catch my breath. I knew Gustavo was just saying this to push me, but I still couldn't help but let my temper get the best of me.

"Whoa, man," Logan said, "Gustavo was just kidding. Although he has a pretty strange sense of humour." He added, glaring at Gustavo. Everyone was staring at me, even Kelly. I didn't care. I wanted them to hear this, too.

"Oh yeah?" I asked Logan, "Well, you all have been doing a lot of "kidding" lately, if you know what I mean." Without waiting for him, or anyone else to reply, I went on. "Do you know what it's like to be called 'stupid' or 'dumb' everyday of your life? Or to be told you don't matter? Oh, of course not, because you never get the chance, because you all are too busy saying it to me!" Logan looked down at the ground in shame. Gustavo looked bored, Kelly looked concerned, Kendall looked shocked, and James just looked sad.

"Carlos," James said, "Why didn't you tell any of us this earlier?" his voice was really quiet, like he was afraid I would explode again. Wow. James Diamond was _afraid_ of me. This conversation was not going how I intended at all.

"Because," I answered, "I was worried you all would think I was taking it too seriously, and that I was going soft."

"Carlos, c'mon," Kendall sighed, "That's -"

"Stupid, perhaps?" I asked. Kendall shut his mouth immediately, and studied the ground.

"Well," I said, trying to keep my voice steady, "If that's all you guys have to say about me, then I guess 'Stupid Carlos' will see you all later." Then, I walked out of the sound booth, and, ignoring James' protests, made my way back to the Palm Woods alone.

Once I reached the lobby, I slumped down in the nearest chair, feeling miserable. I couldn't get the look on James' face as I left Rocque Records out of my mind. He probably thought I was crazy. Everyone probably thought I was. A frustrated sigh escaped my lips, and I rubbed the sides of my head, trying to calm myself. Why did I lose it back there? I could have just pretended that what Gustavo had said didn't have any affect on me whatsoever, and then talked to James about it later. Yes, that's what I should have done. But, no. Instead, I had to explode in front of everyone. I felt frustrated and a little embarrassed about my outburst. I was thinking of heading back over to Rocque Records to apologize (that was, if I was still _allowed_ in there), when I got a funny feeling. Almost like the feeling you get when someone's staring at you, and you can sort of _feel_ their eyes on you. I whipped around, expecting to see James, or Gustavo, or at least _someone,_ but to my surprise, no one was there. But that still didn't rid me of the someone's-watching-you-feeling. Narrowing my eyes, I turned around to face forward again. I was probably just imagining things, and letting guilt, frustration, and fatigue get to me.

"Carlos…."

Ok, I definitely didn't imagine _that._ Someone was calling my name. They spoke in a sort of whisper. I spun around, my eyes doing a quick scan of the lobby. No one was there. Or at least, I didn't think so….

"Carlos…."

"What?" I snapped. It wasn't a super bright thing to do, considering the fact I had absolutely no idea who was calling my name, but I was in a bad mood. I figured it was probably someone's idea of a lame prank. However, I then remembered anyone who dared prank me, was over at Rocque Records, and that made me worry a little. I began regretting saying "what" because maybe if I hadn't spoken, and just pretended I couldn't hear whoever was calling me, they would probably just go away. Unknown to me at the time, I would regret talking even more in a couple days.

I detected movement from the corner of my eye, and was up off the couch in a flash. Backing up against the wall so I was able to see the entire room at once, I spoke in a shockingly-shaky voice.

"Who's t-there? I know s-someone's there. I saw you move. Now you have to c-come out." If it turned out to be someone like Jett or Camille with some new acting technique, I would kill them. I had a reputation of not getting scared easily, and I didn't want to break it in front of one of them. And the annoying little stammer in my voice gave away the fact I was a little freaked. But, as I quickly learned, neither Jett nor Camille was to blame.

"Okay, okay, you got me." A very smooth-sounding voice said. Its owner then stepped out from behind some storage boxes in the back of the room. My jaw hit the ground.

"Hawk?" I gasped, not really wanting to believe it was him. I didn't want to believe the fact that the man who had tried (and thankfully, failed) to destroy Rocque Records numerous times was now out of jail. But I had to—he was standing right in front of me.

"That's right," Hawk said grinning. He took a step towards me, causing me to regret backing up against the wall earlier. If Hawk tried anything, there'd be nowhere for me to run. Suddenly wishing James and the others were here too, I shifted to the left just a bit, allowing me to line up with the exit, which was now directly across from me on the other side of the room. I figured I was faster than Hawk, as I was smaller, and had an advantage this way, so if anything, I could just run back to Rocque Records. However, instead of doing the expected, Hawk came over and sat down on the couch.

"Hey, Carlos." He said, smiling. My jaw dropped lower, if that was even possible. Was this guy for real? Over the past year or so, he'd kidnapped my friends and I, almost landed us in jail, and tried to ruin our record producer's chances of recording a song with Jordan Sparks. And now, he shows up at our hotel and says "hey"? Who did he think he was?

"Don't 'hey, Carlos' me!" I snapped. Hawk's facial expression didn't change from that unfittingly-cheerful smile, so I kept going. "What are you doing here, Hawk? Last time I saw you, you were on you way to jail _again_. How did you get out? And don't say 'good behaviour', because you and I both know that no matter how hard you try, being good is just too far from your abilities. And feel free to take that offensively." I added heatedly.

Hawk didn't look at all offended.

"Well, Carlos," he said, not taking his eyes off me, "I was granted parole."

"Why?" I asked. How the police could still manage to see any ounce of good in this man was beyond me.

"It was easy," Hawk replied, "All it took was a little persuasion and reason." He grinned, and sighed, as if remembering a very fond memory.

A shiver went down my body as he said this. Because I knew Hawk, I knew that his idea of "persuasion and reason" probably involved hurting someone. Still, I pretended to be interested in what Hawk had to say, as I figured that the more I stalled him, the longer it would take him to tell me why he was really here. Maybe by that time, James and the others would be back. I could only hope.

"So, where are the other guys?" Hawk asked, looking around.

"At Rocque Records," I replied, wary of the fact that Hawk was studying me, as if looking for something, "And by the way, what are you doing here?"

"What? I can't stop by to apologize for my horrid attempts at destroying Rocque Records?" Hawk asked, placing a hand dramatically on his heart as he said so. When he saw the sceptical look on my face, he continued, "Well, I just wanted to say that I've changed since the last...two times I've been in jail. And I would really like to make it up to you. To all of you. So, please accept my humble apology. Jail changed me. And I promise it is for the better." He stared at me, waiting for my reaction. I stared back at him, wondering how to react. My head was spinning. Hawk apologizing? As impossible as it seemed, what the man had just said definitely qualified as an apology. He was still waiting for me to react, his eyes lighting up when he saw me open my mouth to speak. However, I knew what I was about to say wasn't going to make him happy.

"Well, Hawk," I told him, "If you want to make it up to us, then why don't you leave? Just leave us alone." I flinched, waiting for his reaction. Hawk wasn't someone who takes insults lightly. But I cut my next sentence short when an unusual expression crossed Hawk's face. The man's eyes appeared shiny, and he looked…well…_sad_.

"Carlos, please?" He asked, and I saw to my horror that the man was pleading with me. Was it just me, or was nothing going the way I had planned tonight?

"Um...okay." I squeaked. It sounded more like a question. At my words, the man's face lit up.

"Really?" he asked, "So you forgive me?"

"I guess." I said, uncertainly. I had no idea what to say. I really wished James, or Kendall, or Logan was here. Hawk cleared his throat loudly.

"So," he said casually, as if in an attempt to change the subject, "Earlier, you said that they rest of the guys were back at Rocque Records."

"Yeah, I know." I said, not liking where this was going.

"Is there any reason why they're there, and you're here?" Hawk asked in that same casual, but curious tone.

"Um…" I said, trying to find something—anything to say to Hawk other than the truth. I didn't want him to know that the real reason I left Rocque Records was because I was sick of everyone and sort of blew up at Gustavo. Somehow, I thought Hawk would find that good news, and use the fact that we were all fighting amongst ourselves to his advantage. However, not finding anything intelligent and believable enough to tell him, I finally settled with telling Hawk the truth.

"Well, there may or may not have been a tiny fight, and I may or may not have yelled at everyone and stormed out of Rocque Records." I told him reluctantly, and a little sheepishly. Why on Earth I decided to tell him that was beyond me. I didn't consider Hawk to be someone I would willingly pour my heart out to, and so I was as surprised as he was when I finally told him.

"Oh," Hawk said, genuinely surprised, "What were you all fighting about?"

_Great_, I thought. This was what exactly what I _didn't _want to happen. And the sad thing was that Hawk was so far the only person who showed they actually cared. So, I figured there was no harm in telling him. What could he do?

"It's just that everyday, people keep telling me how stupid I am, and how I don't matter, and not only does it make me feel lousy and unappreciated, but it makes me feel like my entire existence is unnecessary." I said that all in one breath. Maybe it was a little dramatic, but so far, out of anyone, Hawk was the one who showed he cared the most (sad as that may be), and so I figure I might as well tell him everything. And to back up my last statement, I saw that Haw's face was twisted up in what looked like sympathy.

"That's too bad," he said sadly. His face then lit up in shock. "Wait… did you say that _Gustavo_ took part in this, too?" I nodded, and Hawk's expression widened in disbelief. "That's awful!" he gasped. Again, I nodded, thinking hard. There was something odd about Hawk's tone, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

"Yeah, it sucks." I told him, "And the worst part is that James, Kendall, Logan and the rest didn't know how bad it was affecting me until I told them just ten minutes ago. I still don't think they care." I added sighing. Hawk appeared to be deep in thought.

"Hmm," he said stroking his chin, "Interesting." My stomach twisted uncomfortably when I realised that some of the sympathy was replaced in Hawk's voice. In its place was a sly, mysterious tone that I was beginning to like less and less with each passing second.

"What's interesting?" I asked him. He smiled.

"Well, you see, Carlos," he said, "At Hawk Records, I'd treat you with as much respect as I want you to treat me with. I would never put you down in any way, and would listen to your concerns with open ears." When I said nothing, Hawk continued, "C'mon, Carlos! Think about it: I'm out of jail now. I've changed, I swear! All I'm asking is that you come, record some demos back at Hawk Records, see that I'm a new person, and I promise you, if you don't like it there, tell me at once, and I'll bring you right back. But," he dropped his voice down to a whisper, "just between you and me…I don't think your experience at Hawk Records will be as negative as it was here."

"My Rocque Record experience hasn't been all negative," I told Hawk matter-of-factly, "In fact, most of it has been pretty good."

"Yes, and I know it, too," Hawk told me patiently, "And I can give it all to you at my studio. The only difference is that you'll be told you actually matter. And I'll finally get the chance I need to record with a rising star! It's a win-win situation. For both of us. Just one day, Carlos. That's all I'm asking." His eyes pleaded with me. One day. That didn't sound too bad. And Hawk said that if I didn't like it he'd take me back here. One day couldn't hurt, could it?

"And Gustavo's actually okay with this?" I asked Hawk. He nodded. "We've talked." was all he said. That pushed every ounce of doubt I had about Hawk out of my mind. Hawk and Gustavo had been enemies for as long as I could remember. Hawk must have been really committed to changing to earn Gustavo's trust. Giving in, I nodded. Hawk's eyes lit up.

"Really?" he asked delighted, "You'll do it?"

"Yeah," I sighed, "For one day."

"Oh, thank you, Carlos!" Hawk clapped his hands together excited, "I promise you, it will be a day you'll never forget. Looking back on it now, I'm not sure how that line failed to make me uneasy.

"Okay," I said, "Let's go.

"Just follow me," Hawk said, his eyes shining from behind his sunglasses, "My limo's out front."

I took a deep, uncertain breath to calm myself. Then, making my decision, I stood up, and after making sure no one was around to see me, I allowed the man I had previously considered an enemy to escort me out the door.

**Hope you liked it! My sis is actually taking a break until further notice, so I'll be writing the next few chapters by myself. Please leave a review, as they inspire me, and I'm thinking of adding some Carlos angst later on, so if any of you have any suggestions, I'm all ears. Ok, thanks, guys! I'll have the next chapter up as soon as I can. I won't keep you waiting. I've already started it! :) **


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey, everyone. Thanks for being patient with me. Writing time has been hard to come by lately, so I apologize for not uploading sooner. **

**But, before I go on, there is some very sad news I must share with you all:**

**My good friend, and beta reader, **_**chickenleg718 **_**has sadly passed away due to cancer. According to her brother, she was diagnosed a few months ago. It was a shock when her brother sent me a PM with the news, and I can't tell you how sad and upset I was when I found out. Her death was sudden, and we were quite close. **

**Because she was my beta, and also my friend, I herby dedicate this entire story to her. Rest in peace, **_**chickenleg718**_**, and you will be dearly missed. :'( **

**P.S. Sorry for any spelling/grammar mistakes, as I didn't take as much time editing this chapter as I normally do with other chapters.**

Chapter 3

_Not part of my tale:_

_You know, not even five minutes ago, when I was telling my story to everyone, I somehow put the idea into my head that talking about Hawk would help me get over my intense fear of him. Well, it turns out, it didn't. I nearly jumped out of my skin when a loud crash from what I had thought was the broom cupboard sounded out. The broom cupboard was a small, dark crawl space underneath the basement stairs. It had a door that locked, and that was where Freight Train decided to keep Hawk until the police arrived. And so when a loud noise came from the general direction of the broom cupboard, I naturally thought of Hawk, beady black eyes narrowed and fiery, bursting through the door, coming to get me. _

_However, it was actually just Logan tripping over something a whole level above us, after he left to use the bathroom, and that God-awful noise was him and his irritating klutziness, and not the unconscious kidnapper locked in the cupboard who wanted to hurt us. (This just proves my theory about me not being afraid of Hawk is way off). James put his arm around me, and told me gently to keep going. Everyone seemed anxious to hear my story, and I couldn't tell if that was a good thing, or a bad thing. But, my story was far from finished, so taking comfort in James's arm around me, I kept going. _

As I sat in the luxurious leather seats inside of Hawk's limo, I began thinking. Was leaving the Palm Woods, even just for one day, really a good idea? My brain was screaming "no" at me, but since when had that ever stopped me? Besides, I needed to get the message across to everyone back at Rocque Records that I meant business, and that I wasn't to be taken as a fool. So, yeah. For now, leaving with Hawk was a brilliant idea.

A quick glance at my watch told me it was seven thirty p.m.

"How long exactly does it take to get from The Palm Woods to your studio?" I asked Hawk. From what I remembered, it shouldn't have taken _this_ long. I had been in the car for about an hour. It only took about a half hour to drive to Hawk Records, as far as I was concerned.

"Not to worry, Carlos," Hawk said, looking at me from the tops of his sunglasses, "We should be there soon."

As if on cue, the limousine came to a smooth stop, and the door beside me opened, revealing Hawk. He motioned for me to come out of the car, holding the door open. I climbed out.

"Um, Hawk?" I asked immediately after I got out of the car, "Where are we? This isn't Hawk Records." I took in my surroundings. As far as I could tell, we were in the middle of nowhere. Tall trees surrounded me from all sides, leading me to figure out that we were in the middle of a forest. And directly in front of me, stood what was probably the biggest house I had ever seen. It was made entirely out of brick, and had to be at least three stories high. Balconies extended out from almost every window, and tall, stone pillars grew from the ground, attaching on to wherever possible.

"Right you are, Carlos," Hawk said as cheerful as ever, "This _isn't _Hawk Records. I just need to make a little…stop." I sighed in surprise and disappointment. When I didn't reply, Hawk sighed. "You may as well come inside with me, Carlos," he said, leaning over towards me, "I might be a little while."

"What are you doing?" I asked, confused.

"Oh, I just have a phone call to make." Hawk replied, his eyes not meeting mine. My heart skipped a beat for reasons I was not entirely sure of. I watched as Hawk pulled out a set of brass keys from his pocket.

"You're lying." The words popped out of my mouth before I could stop them. Hawk turned to me, surprise etched onto his face.

"Whatever do you mean by that?" he asked me. Instead of the overly-friendly voice I was beginning to grow accustomed to, Hawk's voice sounded cold, and somewhat on edge.

"No one drives out into the middle of nowhere to make a phone call." I replied coolly. Suddenly, going with Hawk was looking like a bad idea.

"Well, I do." Hawk said, "Now, Carlos, it's gonna get dark soon, so you might as well come inside. I don't know how long I'm going to be. I guess it depends on what type of mood the person I'm calling will be in, and whether or not he…cooperates. So, come."

"No thanks," I said. "I'd much rather stay out here." It was true; Hawk was beginning to unsettle me, and I was perfectly content with staying out here in the fresh air. I didn't want to than anywhere with him if I didn't need to, especially not into a creepy-looking house in the middle of a forest.

"Just come!" Hawk half-shrieked. I jumped, startled by his uproar. Hawk went quiet immediately, and when he spoke again, his voice was cheerful again. Only, this time, it sounded forced.

"Please come in, Carlos. We can stop for a drink and some dinner." Hawk told me. Not really feeling any desire for another outburst, I reluctantly nodded.

"Fine," I grumbled. The night air was starting to become chilly, and goose bumps began forming on my arms. Terrific. Still, I didn't see the harm in going into the house for a quick bite.

"It _is_ going to be quick, though, right?" I asked Hawk. Something didn't feel entirely right about the house, and I figured that the quicker we went in and ate dinner, the quicker Hawk could make his dumb phone call so we could get out of here.

"But of _course, _Carlos." Hawk smiled slyly. I shivered. Had I just made a huge mistake?

Although the outside of the house was grand and impressive, the inside wasn't much to look at. The furniture looked old and worn, and the entire foyer was covered in dust, and the rare cobweb hung here and there, the biggest from the crystal chandelier dangled from the high ceiling . Odd. Why would Hawk want to come _here_? Los Angeles had a million nice, not-dusty homes in it, yet here we were in what had to be the most unattractive, boring home in the city. Just my luck.

I highly doubted there was a phone anywhere within five miles, and my hopes of eating were beginning to vanish as well. I turned to Hawk.

"Well," I said, packing as much cheerfulness into my tone as I could manage, so as to not raise suspicion, "Looks like you got the wrong house. Real shame, as I was looking forward to spending my evening here in this…unique place…but oh well." I added quickly in case Hawk didn't pick up my sarcasm. Hawk stared at me.

"Hmm, nice try, Carlos," he told me, still hanging on to that smirk, "But, as it turns out, I have exactly the right house, and you'll be spending much, much more time in this 'unique place' than you think."

My stomach did a somersault. What did Hawk mean by _that_? Knowing Hawk, it was probably—no, _definitely_—a bad thing. As much as I wanted to bolt out the door, I played it cool.

"What do you mean?" I asked innocently.

"You see, Carlos," Hawk said, "I lied to you…a lot."

"Really?" I asked sarcastically. I _had_ to admit: I was pretty impressed with myself. The fact that I was able to make my tone sound so casual and calm, when, in reality, I was incredibly scared, gave me satisfaction.

"Well, maybe not _everything_ I told you was a lie," Hawk said thoughtfully, "I admit to lying about the 'coming inside to have dinner' part, but the fact that I have an important phone call to make, is, in fact, very true." My heart sank down to my feet.

"Who do you have to call?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Glad you asked, Carlos." Hawk told me cheerfully, "After I deal with you, I am going to call a man named Gustavo Rocque. I believe you are familiar with this man, am I right?" When I didn't respond, Hawk went on, "I'm just going to call to let him know that I have found a certain…'lost item' of his, and that if he wants it back, then he's going to have to do exactly as I say. The 'lost item' is you, by the way, Carlos."

"Yeah, I got that." I said. Then something else Hawk had just said dawned on me. "What do you mean by 'deal with me'?" I asked. Then, it dawned on me: Hawk was going to use me to get to Gustavo somehow. He was still a jealous maniac, and wouldn't stop until Gustavo and Big Time Rush were through. Hawk must have realized I had him all figured out, as he laughed.

"Don't worry, Carlos," he sneered. He then walked towards me, and opened the door that was directly behind me, revealing a wooden staircase that led into a pitch-black room. "Now, in you go." He commanded roughly.

"Isn't their an easier way to do this?" I asked. "You know: one that doesn't involve locking me up? You and Gustavo could negotiate. Sit down, have a latte, and talk. You know, man to man. So, how does that sound- whoa!" I cried out as Hawk shoved roughly me down the stairs. Apparently, that DIDN'T sound good to Hawk. I landed on my knees, and it took all I had not to cry out. It took my eyes a minute to adjust to the complete darkness of the room Hawk put me into.

"Where am I?" I asked. Even from all the way at the top of the stairs, Hawk's teeth seemed to glow as he smiled.

"The basement," he said, "Of my second home in California. I wanted someplace private. Someplace where you'd be completely hidden from Gustavo and your stupid singing friends. Thanks to my pure genius, they'll never find you. So, basically, it's just you and me out here. So, be on your best behaviour, Carlos, because I could mean the difference between you starving or you not. Don't try anything stupid."

Chills ran down my spine. I tried not to let Hawk in on the fact that I was really scared at the moment. Instead, I put on my imaginary hockey helmet, and looked at him right in the eyes. And then, I asked him the question that had been bothering me since he had started talking:

"You have a second home?"

Hawk looked annoyed that that was the only thing I got out if his little speech.

"Yes." he answered.

"Why?" I asked.

"BECAUSE!" Hawk screamed. He must have seen me flinch, as he smiled darkly before taking a deep breath. "Because I am amazingly rich, and can not only afford things like various homes, but can also afford not to get caught kidnapping. 'Why?' you may ask. Well, because I am now seen as a good guy. The reason those dim-witted police officers let me out of jail in the first place was because they trusted me. People like me. So they would never suspect me. That's why. Oh, and just to get one thing straight, Carlos: Back at Rocque Records, when I said I had changed for the better, I never said who it would be better for!"

"Well, I neither like, nor trust you," I snapped, ignoring his last statement, "You'll always be the bad guy, and, you're gonna get caught, and Rocque Records will continue to be more successful than Hawk records. So just give up, and bring me back to the Palm Woods." I waited for Hawk's reaction. Maybe I went too far. But, to my relief, Hawk didn't react anything close to what I had thought. In fact, he was laughing. Unfortunately, that scared me as much as him yelling.

"Interesting theory," he said thoughtfully. His voice was calm, but his eyes were blazing, and looked as if they could burn a hole through me right then and there. "But, unfortunately for you, Carlos, you're wrong. You see, after I call Gustavo, and he learns that you're safe and sound with me, he'll have no choice but to give up Rocque Records.

That is, if he wants to see you again." he chuckled.

"Well, you're stupid." I told him, for lack of better things to say. Hawk's smug smile was on full force.

"Well if I'm so stupid, Carlos, then tell me; how did I come up with this plan? Answer me _that_! Thanks to my ingenuous plan-making skills, Gustavo really doesn't have any other choice but to surrender Rocque Records. It's perfect!"

"We'll, the fact that you're holding me ransom proves that you're stupid," I told him. Hawk chose to ignore that.

"And, just so you know," I told him confidently, "Gustavo's never going to surrender Rocque Records. It'll take a lot of persuasion. And he's not one to get persuaded easily."

"Well, I suggest you get comfy, then," Hawk sneered, "And, I wouldn't be so sure of myself, Carlos. You're all the persuasion I need!" he laughed before slamming the door, sealing me in complete darkness. I heard the lock on the basement door click. _Well,_ I thought to myself, _that conversation could have gone better. _

I tried looking around the basement, but didn't get very far due to the fact there was no lighting. "Hawk must've forgotten." I thought to myself. But then I remembered it was Hawk I was taking about, and came to the more accurate realization that he probably left the lights off on purpose. That was a bummer. I couldn't see a thing. But, now that I thought about it, Hawk probably wanted to go out of his way to ensure I was as uncomfortable as possible. But still, what if I bumped into a wall? That thought didn't help me any. I should have brought my helmet with me. Then bumping into walls wouldn't be such a big deal. That didn't help either. If anything, it just made me feel like a klutz. "Never had THAT feeling before." I thought bitterly.

And from that moment on, there was no doubt in my mind that I, Carlos Garcia, was in fact, very stupid.

**So yeah. Please review, and I'll update as soon as I can. Also, my sister (who's back to helping me again), and I were wondering if we should write chapters in the other boys' personalities as well, just to show their thoughts on things, or if we should just stick to Carlos. Angst coming soon! **

**-FraidyCat01 **


	4. Chapter 4

**Wrote this on Saint Patrick's Day. Haha we had a party and it was awesome! Unfortunately, I am not old enough to drink anything except milk at parties, which sucks, so I wrote a fanfic instead :P Hope you like it, and PLEASE REVIEW!**

**Anyway, I believe I said earlier that I would give a shout-out to every fifth reviewer, and so…the fifth reviewer for "****Found****" is **_**Green Swordsgirl**_**! Thank you to everyone who reviewed and you all ROCK! Thank you also to everyone who gave me their condolences about my friend. It was really nice to know how many people cared, and it made me feel better. Some of you even shared some of your own personal stories about loved ones, and I really appreciate it! :) **

**So, now, here's the next chapter. And yes, as requested, this chapter has other perspectives as well, besides Carlos's. **

_Chapter 4: _

"GUSTAVO ROCQUE, I AM VERY DISAPPIONTED IN YOU!"

"That's nice, Kelly." Gustavo replied flatly, not even turning away from his computer monitor. He was in the middle of booking the boys a gig. He wanted it to be somewhere in Canada. So far, he'd successfully gotten hung up on by someone in Toronto, and was on hold with someone in Calgary. It was not going well, and the last thing Gustavo wanted was Kelly yelling at him; bothering him with something as unimportant as…

"No," Kelly said, her voice laced with anger, "It's _not_ nice. I can't believe you said those things to the boys! You know, Carlos has _never_ walked out on a rehearsal before, until you snapped at him."

"_Carlos_," Gustavo said, rising from his seat, "Needs to learn self-control."

"He's not the only one." Kelly muttered under her breath.

"Okay, fine, joke all you want." Gustavo told her, "But _I'll_ be the one laughing once I tell the boys I've booked them a concert…in Canada!"

"Canada?" Kelly repeated in shock, "But I thought no cities in Canada were accepting any concert bookings! How'd you get an opening?"

"Well, I…er… I didn't." Gustavo admitted reluctantly, "But, with my amazing skills, natural charm, and friendship with Canadian concert-booker-person, Jeff Smartson, I think it will all be pulled off quite nicely." Kelly rolled her eyes.

Just then, the door to Gustavo's office burst open once more, and Gustavo turned around to see James, Kendall, and Logan come running in. Gustavo expected more angry words, but instead, was surprised to see that all three boys had excited looks on their faces.

"Did I hear you say something about Canada?" Logan questioned.

"Where's Carlos?" Gustavo asked, ignoring Logan.

"We can't find him." James answered, and Gustavo could see the worry in the brunette's eyes as he spoke. This took Gustavo completely by surprise.

"What do you mean you 'can't find him'?" He asked.

"What part don't you understand?" Kendall asked, annoyed.

"You guys, relax." Logan intervened, speaking up before Gustavo had the chance, "Something similar happened last year, remember? We had a fight, Carlos disappeared, and we were all worried about him, and it turned out that he was just spending the night at our hockey coach's house. He ran away. It's just something he does when he's mad or upset."

"Yeah, but that was back in Minnesota." James insisted.

"How is that different from now?" Logan inquired, "First thing we'll do when we get back to the Palm Woods is check Jo's, Camille's, and Guitar Dude's places. If he's not there, _then_ we panic."

"He'd better not be planning on spending the night over at Jo's." Kendall grumbled under his breath.

"Wow, possessive much." Logan remarked.

"At least I _have_ a girlfr-" Kendall spat, but was hastily interrupted by James.

"So, Gustavo," James said, changing the subject, "What were you and Kelly talking about when you mentioned Canada?"

"Well," Gustavo answered slowly, "I may or may not have booked you guys a concert in Calgary."

"Really?" Kendall asked excited.

"For Canada Day…maybe." Gustavo replied, making sure to emphasize the 'maybe'.

"Canada Day?" James asked, making it clear that he was not familiar with the occasion. Logan rolled his eyes.

"It's like the fourth of July," He told James.

"But in Canada!" Kendall declared, thinking it was necessary.

"_Where_ it is isn't going to matter unless we find Carlos." Gustavo cut in impatiently. Sensing a blow-up, Kendall resumed his usual role as group leader.

"We'll find him, Gustavo, don't worry. Let's go, guys." He said patting Gustavo on the back, and motioning for his friends to follow him as he left Gustavo's office.

"Where are you guys searching first?" Kelly asked.

"Er… The Palm Woods, I guess," Kendall said uncertainly, "Because that's where he'd most likely be."

"Unless he _wanted_ us to think that, and he's actually in a different place." Logan said thoughtfully. James thumped him on the back of his head.

"Ouch!" Logan cried.

"Not helping!" James told Logan.

"Okay, I was _just _saying." Logan grumbled unhappily.

"Will you guys just _GO?!_" Gustavo yelled at the boys, "I need to think, and-"

"Yeah, yeah," Logan cut in, "And having 'dogs' in your office stressing you out isn't helping."

"Precisely." Gustavo said, "Now, get out!"

While the boys left, muttering under their breath, Gustavo sat down and put his head in his hands, dirtying his red-lensed sunglasses as he did so.

"I just hope they find Carlos before the concert." He said. He then cast a glare at his cell phone, which told him that he was still on hold. "That is if there's even gonna _be_ a concert. What is it with Canadians and putting people on hold, anyway?"

"Focus!" Kelly snapped, setting down the file she was holding and examining her nails, "And, c'mon this is _Carlos_ we're talking about." She added, "Honestly, how far away could he _possibly_ be?"

The phone rang.

_**Carlos's Tale: **_

Two thoughts were running laps around my head. The first one being that after Hawk slammed the door in my face, leaving me in complete silence and pitch-black, it had taken my eyes at least twenty minutes to adjust to the seemingly endless darkness. Even now, I didn't trust my eyesight enough to go explore my new living quarters, so I just sat in the dark, listening to my own heartbeat. _Well, at least you know you're still alive._ The positive side of me thought. _Yeah, if you can call this living. _the negative side fought back. I punched the wall so hard, my hand hurt. Hawk was never going to convince Gustavo to hand over Rocque Records, and Hawk knew it, so what was the point of getting my hopes up? Gustavo wouldn't pick me over his music business. _ I_ wouldn't pick me. Gustavo said so himself that I was nothing but a problem, and that I was always in the way, and causing trouble, and blah, blah, blah. Point made: I was going to be staying with Hawk a long time. And the thought of spending more time with him didn't help my stomach, which was beginning to grumble loudly.

_What about your friends?_ That extremely annoying voice inside my head asked, _You don't think they're gonna come after you?_

"No." I answered out loud. After the way they had treated me (with maybe the exception of James), I was pretty sure I could count on not seeing _their_ faces for a while. It made me feel like I had no one now, because if my own friends didn't even like me, then it was obvious no one else did, either.

"Maybe they all just hired Hawk to kidnap me," I thought tiredly. It was, after all, proving itself to be a very effective way to get rid of me. But I knew I was just letting drowsiness talk for me, and after a few minutes of tossing and turning on the rock-hard floor, I found a semi-comfortable position, and drifted into a dreamless sleep….

**It was short, but I am still happy with it. Don't forget to review! What do you think? Would YOU pick Carlos over Rocque Records?**

**Oh, and happy Saint Patrick's Day to all the Irish people out there! Hope yours was as good as mine! YEAH IRELAND! Better late than never! Truth is, I had this chapter written and ready to go, but then I changed it because I didn't like it, and then I added a ton of stuff. Trust me, it's better now ;) REVIEW!**


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